Continuing our Ask the Librarian post from four weeks ago, Kelly had asked about books on volcanoes, the human body, and dams & bridges to read aloud to her 7 year old son. Here are our picks for Dams and Bridges:

The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, Hildegarde Hoyt Swift
This classic picture book features a small lighthouse whose light is overshadowed by the new bridge built over the river, but since the bridge features prominently, albeit as the antagonist, I’ve included it in this list.

Book of Marvels: The Occident by Richard Halliburton, Chapters 1 & 5
Halliburton’s narratives of his amazing travel adventures include history, geography, literary and scientific background, all the while being extremely fascinating, even for younger kids. These chapters relate his visits to the Golden Gate Bridge and the Boulder (later the Hoover) Dam.

About Dams by Mabel Harmer
An introductory look at the history, purpose and construction of dams.

From Cement to Bridge by Ali Mitgutsch “Start to Finish Book”
This simple series of books looks at individual materials that man uses everyday. This book looks at how cement is manufactured and its uses in bridge building.

The Bridge Book by Polly Carter
This picture book provides a surprisingly thorough look at the various ways to construct bridges–their advantages and disadvantages.

Bridges and How They are Built by Daniel Goldwater
This book provides a slightly more in-depth look than the above book, complete with diagrams and black-and-white photographs.

The First Book of Bridges by Creighton Peet
Part of the “First Book” series, this is a fairly comprehensive look at bridges–their origins, history, construction and famous examples.

Big Bridge to Brooklyn: The Roebling Story by Frances Williams Browin (Aladdin’s American Heritage)
Told from the perspective of a fictional boy growing up in Brooklyn, under the shadow of the Bridge project, he grows up to work on the bridge and meet Roebling. This would be a good read-aloud for your son.